GO-BAMA Between Hope & Dreams: Exciting New Update!

Award Winning, timely, film captures in an intimate and revealing way the relevancy of the first elected African American President, Barack Obama, for global citizens. In particular, the nuances of the election are touched upon with a revealing look at its impact upon citizens of both America and Europe. Now available for online viewing!

Dr. Willie Parker Explains Why Abortion is Basic Health Care

Willie J. Parker, MD, MPH, MSc, is the Medical Director of Planned Parenthood Metro Washington, and a board member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH) - An organization for which I have once volunteered.  A very interesting and inspiring interview with Dr. Parker on his motivations for providing abortion services.

Click here to read further.

Prepare this Tanzanian dish for the New Years! HERI Ya MWAKA MPYA!

HERI Ya MWAKA MPYA (Happy New Year!)

If you're anything like me, you are constantly seeking to expand your culinary abilities. Add a new dish to your repertoire. Ring in the new year with another tried and tasted recipe from Tanzania. A delicious interpretation of the dish Bilriani Rice accompanied by goat stew. The concept behind this dish requires patience, which allows for some creativity on your part. You can make a delicious, colorful dish with that WOW factor that your dinner guests will admire. Many elements of the dish are modifiable (the protein that you use, perhaps chicken instead of goat), a bit more salt to taste, and seasonal ingredients (if fresh papaya is hard to come by, substitute it with live yogurt). Fresh papaya (enzyme activity) and yogurt (live bacteria) both serve to soften tougher meat such as goat when used as a marinade. In Tanzanian cuisine sliced carrots and green peppers are a welcome addition to many stewed dishes, but feel free to add your favorite veggies.

Ingredients that you will need:

Meat marinade,

1 lb mbusi (goat meat) in chopped pieces

1 quarter papai (papaya) &/or 1 cup yogurt

Grated/mashed ginger

Mashed 2 cloves garlic

For the Bilriani sauce,

½ 1b potatoes

1 – 2 onions

Approx. 4 tblsp tomato paste

1 – 2 green peppers

1 – 2 sticks of carrot

2 – 3 tomatoes

2 tblspn bilriani spice*

½ tsp curry powder

2 tblspn Soy sauce

For the rice,

1 ¼ cup jasmine rice

½ liter water

1 tsp salt

¼ cup oil

1 – 2 onions

Approx. 1 tsp each non-powder spices: whole cumin, cloves, whole black pepper, cinnamon sticks

Optional, can add powdered spices** to the rice for a spicier flavor.

Technique:

1^st marinate the goat meat in the papaya/yogurt, ginger, and garlic for 2 hours

Mashed fresh ginger, papaya, garlic (Some would be portioned for use in this recipe)

2^nd slice/ dice veggies, potatoes in preparation for cooking

3^rd [2 hours later] in a pot boil the marinated meat, adding just enough water to cover, until meat becomes tender

4^th In a separate pan fry the potatoes, onions, add tomato paste, peppers, carrots, diced tomatoes.

Add the bilriani powdered spice* and curry powder

Add the soy sauce

5^th Add all ingredients to the pot of boiled meat, simmer until all ingredients are cooked (sauce should be thick)

[and meanwhile…]

Start preparing the bilriani rice

6^th In a separate pot add the salt to the water then bring to a boil

7^th Add the jasmine rice

8^th Cook the rice in a boil for 10 minutes, then strain/drain well

9^th Fry the diced onion on medium heat until soft and translucent with a dark brown color (watch carefully to avoid burning) in ¼ cup oil. Optional: add the non-powder whole spices: cumin, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon sticks. For spicier rice, optionally: add the powdered spices.**

10^th Incorporate the rice, fried onion and spices into a pot (suitable for baking) or in a rice cooker; stir thoroughly. Add a tiny amount of food color directly onto the rice in alternating color strips (refer to illustration of what the pot of rice might look like, from the top, after adding food coloring in sections). Leave some of the rice uncolored. Cook rice until finished cooking (10-15 minutes if baked).

The rice depicted here was wholly colored red.

11^th Stir the cooked rice so that the colored rice is distributed throughout the uncolored rice, for a potpourri effect. On the side, or in a separate dish, serve the goat meat in the sauce. Enjoy!

Note: For the powdered spices that I mentioned above, I use used prepared spice mixes purchased from Tanzania. However, with a spice grinder you can simply make these spice mixes for yourself from scratch. 

* For the Bilriani sauce I add 2 tablespoons of ‘Zanzibar Taste’. This special mix can be prepared by grinding whole spices into a powdered form in the following ratio of most to least: Cinnamon, Clove, Cumin, Cardamom, Ginger, Coriander, Black pepper.

**For the Bilriani rice I might add 2 tablespoons of ‘Zanzibar Biriani Masala’ for a more spiced version of the dish; however, this addition is optional. I would make a spicy rice to accompany a simple protein, not the spicy version of protein described in this recipe. You can make a spicy bilriani rice dish by including the powdered form of the following spices (in the ratio of most to least): Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, Ginger, Coriander, Cumin.

Giving Birth Abroad: Germany

Giving birth while living abroad can be a daunting prospect. The fifth instalment [sic] of The Local's series Motherhood in the Fatherland follows expectant mum Sabine Devins as she handles the cultural quirks of having a baby in Germany.

Read more of "The midwife: Your best friend in natal care" here.

Can web browsers bring clean water to folks on the other side of the globe?

I found this website online and find it quite inspiring.

Stuart writes "I have everything I need, so this year for my birthday I'm asking for gifts in the form of donations to MyCharityWater.org so we can fund clean water projects. My goal is to raise $1,000 and give 50 people life-sustaining water.

PLEASE HELP ME TURN UP THE LOVE by making a donation. Let's get wet up in heeyaahhh!!!

I am really excited and grateful to be turning 40, and to have such wonderful friends and co-creators in my life. This is truly what I think would be the most wonderful and fun way to spend my 40th birthday, knowing we turned up the LOVE and made a difference. I am lucky to have many amazing friends, and this will truly be the greatest way to say THANK YOU to you all on my 40th (which is January 11th).

Every donation will be the most amazing gift, and I will bow and giggle in gratitude. Somersault prostrations, disco Buddhas!"

Click to watch more.

Click to read more http://www.mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=11965
100% of your donation directly funds clean water projects in developing nations.

Note: Content unverified.

Love & Marriage: Tips For Steamy and Safe Sex During Pregnancy

The idea of getting it on while you have a little passenger might be kind of daunting, but have no fear! Your sex life needn’t be placed on hold for nine months, as experts say that not only can pregnant sex safe, but it can be incredibly hot as well. Here are eight tips to make your three trimesters just a little bit more enjoyable! By SisterToldja

Click here to read more.

The International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative (IMBCI) Meeting

I am optimistically hopeful about my plans to attend the annual International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative (IMBCI) Meeting on Tuesday, 18 October 2011. The meeting is part of the larger 'Midwifery Today Conference' entitled “Preserving Our Traditions, Improving Our Skills” which will take place in Bad Wildbad, Germany on19–23 October, 2011. Doulas play such a key role in policy transformation and protecting women's rights, I am really so proud. How exciting!